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Dinner at Tin Lung Heen 天龍軒 at Ritz Carlton Hong Kong (2* Michelin)

Since we’re staying at Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and thoroughly enjoyed afternoon tea (my post here), we were curious about Tin Lung Heen. This is a high end Cantonese restaurant and earned consistently a 2* Michelin rating since 2013. Its floor to ceiling windows give a birds eye view over Victoria Harbour, and it is so high up that it is actually at or above the level of the clouds. This can be experienced when the clouds on occasion completely envelop the building, and the windows appear opaque due to the mist. To access the restaurant, take the express lift from the Ritz Carlton lobby to the 103rd floor, where there is an escalator down to the restaurant entrance on the 102nd floor. The room is impressive, with a very high ceiling and smart, modern decor.

To start off the meal, the kitchen sent out an amuse bouche of fried anchovies, Japanese sweet potato, and fish sauce. The anchovies were crispy, almost nutty tasting and the fish sauce heighten the sweet-salty flavors. The crispy pork belly (112 HKD) had the desired cracker-crisp skin with a lean meat served with spicy mustard and sweet chili sauce.

The braised chicken with foie gras in Hua Diao wine (花雕鵝肝扣雞; 246 HKD for half chicken) was silky and delicious. The foie gras wasn’t the buttery, creamy, divine goose foie gras that Westerners would think of. It’s a duck foie gras that is rustic textured with a pungent, earthier flavor. If the kitchen used the silkier, elegant goose foie gras, the chicken dish as a whole would have fared a lot better.

The stewed lamb loin with Matsutake mushroom and lotus seed (松茸蓮子扣羊柳; 258 HKD) was a wonderful dish of supple lamb and the mushrooms were incredibly flavorful. The lotus seeds added some desired crunchy texture.

The braised pork belly with supreme black vinegar (龍軒東坡肉; 102 HKD per serving) was the best dish of the evening. This 3-inch cube of lip smacking, tender pork belly that didn’t require much effort to chew or break down with a pair of chopsticks. The carved wintermelon was cooked through and vegetally sweet. If I haven’t ordered other dishes, I would order a few more rounds of this.

The sautéed prawn skewed with Jin Hua ham and vegetable (金腿碧玉簪蝦球; 380 HKD) was very good. Large sweet prawns that’s cooked perfectly and the fine bits of ham delicately flavored this dish without dominating the prawns’ flavor.

To finish the savory portion of the meal, we had the stewed e-fu noodles with sea cucumber and fried leeks (京蔥海參燴伊麵; 256 HKD) was arguably the best e-fu noodles I’ve ever eaten. Most of my old memories of yi mein (伊麵) tend to be mushy and overcooked noodles but this bowl was certainly not. Our bowl of these noodles had a slightly chewy and slightly spongy texture that I rarely eat when I’m in Cantonese restaurants in the U.S. The thinly sliced, chewy cucumber mimicked the texture of the noodles and it was seasoned correctly. The fried leeks that topped the dish added a delicate onion flavor and crispness.

Since we were quite full we opted for petit fours of delicately sweetened coconut red bean jellies and sesame cookies.

Service was attentive and professional. Our waiter kept an eye on our tea cups and topping it off. The food was very good and is worthy of its 2* Michelin rating.

To view more photos of this visit, please view the photo set or the gallery below: